Redefining Pharmacy’s Workforce for a More Complex Care Era

Increasingly, pharmacists in today’s health system are tasked with responsibilities that extend far beyond clinical pharmacotherapy knowledge.

Roles are expanding to include data analytics and informatics, supply chain navigation, payer and manufacturer access, change management, policy issues, advanced clinical support and new leadership roles designed to give pharmacy a seat at every table. This growing complexity requires pharmacy leaders to rethink their organizational structure, staffing and skill needs, technology stack, and training budgets.

Evolving the role of clinical pharmacists on clinical care teams

Skills required:

• Longitudinal clinical reasoning and care coordination throughout the continuum of care
• Clinical decision-making in environments powered by artificial intelligence (AI), freeing up pharmacists to practice at the “top of their license” and maximize time at the bedside
• Integrated medication access, adherence and follow-up management

Tapping pharmacy technicians for more advanced tasks

Skills required:

• Medication history intakes to ease clinical staffing issues
• Advanced quality and safety training to verify accuracy while keeping pharmacists focused on clinical tasks
• Management of automated systems that require enhanced training and certification, especially within electronic health records (EHRs) and inventory management systems

Supporting specialty, ambulatory and infusion therapy services

Skills required:

• Firm grasp of value-based care models to manage high-cost, specialized therapies and chronic conditions
• Specialization in high-demand areas such as oncology, immunotherapy or gene/cell therapies
• Knowledgeable in insurance navigation (e.g., 340B program management, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] reimbursement rules, ever-changing formularies, etc.)

Ramping up automation and AI integration across all skill levels

Skills required:

• Proficiency with emerging tools for inventory management, order verification, prior authorizations and more
• Informatics and technology management skills to launch and oversee these systems
• Policymaking to vet and govern the use of new AI tools
• Willingness to offload repetitive tasks to automation while pursuing high-value, top-of-license activities

By upskilling their pharmacy teams, health systems are increasingly transforming them into future-forward assets to deliver optimized clinical care, improved financial outcomes, and sustained operational resilience.

In McKesson’s Health System Pharmacy Market Outlook Report for 2026, expert Rafael Saenz, Vice President of Knowledge Management and Thought Leadership, highlights the emerging trends impacting pharmacy’s workforce and shares his recommendations to equip health systems for the future.